Then and now...

Love NOW; love everything that makes you better. Love so it feeds your core and ignites purpose. Love does not have to be about the relationships shared between a man and woman, or partner and partner. Love can be about exploring the possibilities of all of your potential; it can be about living your life with vigorous intention.

I, for one, would never hold anyone back from what they want and desire. If you can't give someone or something what it needs, why hold on? That's a selfish approach to living. Relationships are complicated, but most of all they are informative. They inform of us of the things we need and the things we don't. In hindsight, the majority of people that leave any type of relationship knew before the "end" what volatile conditions existed. I learned at a very young age that LOVE is not a permanent state of one set emotion; it's an experience in the NOW that we hope to be everlasting.

Years ago, I transformed love into a tool instead of an emotion. When something in my life needs fine-tuning I ask myself if I have the right tools to fix it; the right compassion to make it a focus. There was a time I was incapable of looking out for myself beyond the people I loved. I put a lot of time and effort into the people in my life that mean the most to me; despite my own needs. It took me a long time to realize that loving someone or something is not always about sacrificing yourself to them without considering the impact it has on you. Sometimes you have to set what you love free, and that includes yourself; free to discover what you truly want and need in life.

I finally understood that I could not stay trapped in the past tense of what love was, because love should grow with you like the seasons pass. A lot of people start reminiscent conversations with, "Remember when we..." There's nothing wrong with reminiscing; reminiscing is a reminder of the moments that impact us the most. Nevertheless, the consequence to living and loving in the past tense is that you never grow beyond the initial phase of both.

Love NOW; love more than you ever did in the past. Love the things you want hard enough to make them infallible missions in your life. You can't make a person love you, but you can seek and work to obtain the quality of lifestyle you desire. Forcing love will only leave you watching it pass you by. Program your mindset to focus on happiness, security, and health; essentially all things associated with love fall under these categories. But, you have to focus on them in the NOW; they have to matter as much to you as the idea of what love is supposed to be.

If you find yourself incapable of loving, you're likely missing one of the essentials. The things we love are the things we should, and likely do, invest the most of ourself. However, if you find yourself loving in the past, reminiscing about things you no longer have- then you've probably left a little bit of yourself behind. You have an opportunity to wake up every morning and feel good about LIVING. It takes every ounce of knowing that when you rise there's something there, at that very moment, to be enthusiastic about; there's something there to make breathing the best sensation of your day because you recognize the amazing presence and blessing of LIFE.

LIFE: living in fascinating eagerness because you love it. Love living NOW.